Regulation of Cats
Of the cities and towns that responded to the Association of Washington Cities 2006 tax and user fee survey, 66 Washington municipalities provided for the licensing of cats. Licensing requirements are similar to those of dogs. The animal must be spayed or neutered or a higher fee is charged for the license. Rabies shots are also among the requirements. Some communities, such as Coulee Dam and Walla Walla have provisions directed at the control of "cats-at-large"
Contents
Background to Cat Control
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Position Statement on Free Roaming, Owned Cats, current as of June 2005
- American Bird Conservancy - Birds and Cats - The Cats Indoors! Campaign
- HSUS Statement on Free-Roaming Cats (
212 KB), Appendix B of Community Approaches to Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations
- Be a Good Neighbor - HSUS
- Keep Your Cat Safe at Home: HSUS's Safe Cats Campaign
Sample Ordinance Provisions
- Clark County Code Section 8.07.200-.250 - Cat License
- Kent Municipal Code Section 8.03.040 - License Required (Includes Dogs and Cats)
- Mount Vernon Municipal Code
- Sections 6.04.040 - .110 - Mandatory Registration of Dogs and Cats
- Sections 6.04.150-.160- Animals Running at Large (including cats) - Leash Requirements
- Seattle Pet Licensing - Seattle Animal Shelter (Includes Dogs, Cats, and Potbelly Pigs)
- Stanwood Municipal Code Section 8.02.210 - Trespassing Dogs and Cats Prohibited - Requirement to remove fecal matter.
- Sumner Municipal Code Section 6.04.030 - Dog and Cat Licensing
- Tumwater Municipal Code Ch. 6.04 - Dogs, Cats and Other Pets
- Walla Walla Municipal Code Ch. 6.13 - Cats - Allows only neutered cats outdoors and limits number, regulates outdoor feeding
Feral Cat Control
For some communities, the presence of wild domestic cats, or feral cats, is the source of many nuisance complaints. Feral cat management programs known as "trap, neuter, release" (TNR) or "trap-test-vaccinate-alter-release-and-monitor" (TTVARM) programs are presented as a solution to the problem. Such programs aim to reduce the number of feral cats while concurrently reducing the number of animals killed in shelters and animal control facilities.
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Position Statement: Free Roaming, Abandoned and Feral Cats, 7-04, amended 11-05
- American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Position Statement of Free Roaming and Abandoned Cats
- Community Approaches to Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations, by Margaret R. Slater, Humane Society of the United States, 2002
- Detailed Discussion of Feral Cat Population Control, by Anthony E. LaCroix, Michigan State University College of Law, Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2006
- The Feline Fix, Governing, August 2001
- Feral Cats Are Not Wildlife in Need of Support, Crossing Paths with Wildlife in Washington Towns and Cities ( 1.28 MB), Winter 2003, WDFW
- Coulee City Ordinance 513 - Prohibiting Feeding of Feral Cats on Town Property, 4-03
- King County Animal Care and Control, 2008 Operational Master Plan, Appendix I - Feral Cats
- Organizations
- Alley Cat Allies
- Feral Cat Coalition (San Diego)
- Paws Feral Cat Resources (Lists Washington Contacts)